November 30, 2009

London Town

The moment I got off the train in London, I knew that I was going to love it – and I did!

Coming in on the Eurostar high speed rail from Paris was amazing – it really is the fastest way to get between the two cities, faster than flying. It crosses the strait at its narrowest point, in Calais, through an underground tunnel, and drops you right in the middle of London. No nasty airline check-ins, baggage claims or shuttle buses, you’re right where you need to be. It’s a lot roomier than any plane, too.

London has all the historical stuff that most European cities do – it’s been around since 1066 – but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the most modern, most hyperactive cities in the world.

London’s office district is much quieter than it was even a few years ago – it was hit even harder by the financial crisis than the United States was.

There is a great love of tradition here. Above, the changing of the guard at the Tower of London

Mind the gap, indeed – London’s tube (metro) is not the best, possibly because it’s so old (it was the first metro system in the world)

The London Eye (above) is the city’s newest landmark. The thing itself is gorgeous, the views from it somewhat less so.

Chinese food – possibly the best in Europe given Britain’s colonial legacy in Asia

Nightlife in London is quite good, and one of the main reasons to go. It’s one of those things that’s great for visitors, but even better for those who live there.

More than any other European city I’ve been to, London struck me as a place I could see myself living in. Some of this I can attribute to it being the least culturally distant from the places I enjoy – Hong Kong, LA and NY – but much of it comes from this lived-in quality it has. Between British English, the sights and sounds of London’s various boroughs and the huge amount of diversity, I felt that this wasn’t just a “checklist” city of tourist sights, but so much more.